Before you put pen to paper, you’ll want to make sure that you have a few things in mind when starting your business card design. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind, so you end up with a well-executed card in the end.
1. Use Color For Emphasis
Proper use of color is easily overlooked when designing a business card, but it’s an important opportunity to showcase your brand. By ensuring you have cohesive color scheme, you can draw the viewer’s eye to important pieces of your card by utilizing color complements.
2. Design With A Purpose
All too often a design is approached by picking out individual elements and trying to piece them together on the card. By designing with a purpose in mind first, it makes the rest of the composition come together more effectively. Do you want your card to be an attention grabber, or to give the receiver an understanding of what your business does? If you simply want a professional contact card, don’t over-complicate the design and confuse the viewer.
3. Use Appropriate Images
Make sure that any images you use are not confounding to your business. Stay away from putting something like a coffee cup on your card if you aren’t a coffee shop. Minimalist shapes and geometric designs are a great way to add flair to your card without distracting the viewer.
4. Don’t Use Obvious Stock Images
It can be tempting to use the first image you like when designing a card, but be aware that overused images can diminish your design. You want your business card to be individualized and unique to your business, but seeing a commonly used stock photo is the quickest way to having your business card design look cookie-cutter.
5. Know What A Business Card Isn’t
A business card’s general purpose is to be memorable, and cleanly display contact information. That doesn’t mean it’s the only purpose, but most cards should tick those boxes. What you want to steer clear of is using the space to detail out everything about your business. Generally you will have a very limited amount of attention directed to your card, so make sure you aren’t overloading it with information. When the time comes for someone to reach out to you, they should be able to easily remember what the card looks like as well as your contact methods.